Organic vapor jet print head with orthogonal delivery and exhaust channels

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a device that may have a first depositor that includes one or more delivery apertures surrounded by one or more exhaust apertures, where the one or more delivery apertures and the one or more exhaust apertures are enclosed within a perimeter of a boss that protrudes from a substrate-facing side of the one or more delivery apertures. The delivery channels for the one or more delivery apertures and exhaust channels for the one or more exhaust apertures may be routed orthogonally to each other. The one or more delivery apertures may be configured to permit jets of delivery gas pass through a lower surface of the first depositor. The lower surface of the first depositor may include the one or more exhaust apertures to remove surplus vapor from a delivery zone. Embodiments may also provide a method of forming a print head.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/624,184, filed Jan. 31, 2018, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an organic vapor jet print head, havingdelivery channels and exhaust channels that are orthogonal to oneanother.

BACKGROUND

Opto-electronic devices that make use of organic materials are becomingincreasingly desirable for a number of reasons. Many of the materialsused to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organicopto-electronic devices have the potential for cost advantages overinorganic devices. In addition, the inherent properties of organicmaterials, such as their flexibility, may make them well suited forparticular applications such as fabrication on a flexible substrate.Examples of organic opto-electronic devices include organic lightemitting diodes/devices (OLEDs), organic phototransistors, organicphotovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. For OLEDs, the organicmaterials may have performance advantages over conventional materials.For example, the wavelength at which an organic emissive layer emitslight may generally be readily tuned with appropriate dopants.

OLEDs make use of thin organic films that emit light when voltage isapplied across the device. OLEDs are becoming an increasinglyinteresting technology for use in applications such as flat paneldisplays, illumination, and backlighting. Several OLED materials andconfigurations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

One application for phosphorescent emissive molecules is a full colordisplay. Industry standards for such a display call for pixels adaptedto emit particular colors, referred to as “saturated” colors. Inparticular, these standards call for saturated red, green, and bluepixels. Alternatively the OLED can be designed to emit white light. Inconventional liquid crystal displays emission from a white backlight isfiltered using absorption filters to produce red, green and blueemission. The same technique can also be used with OLEDs. The white OLEDcan be either a single EML device or a stack structure. Color may bemeasured using CIE coordinates, which are well known to the art.

As used herein, the term “organic” includes polymeric materials as wellas small molecule organic materials that may be used to fabricateorganic opto-electronic devices. “Small molecule” refers to any organicmaterial that is not a polymer, and “small molecules” may actually bequite large. Small molecules may include repeat units in somecircumstances. For example, using a long chain alkyl group as asubstituent does not remove a molecule from the “small molecule” class.Small molecules may also be incorporated into polymers, for example as apendent group on a polymer backbone or as a part of the backbone. Smallmolecules may also serve as the core moiety of a dendrimer, whichconsists of a series of chemical shells built on the core moiety. Thecore moiety of a dendrimer may be a fluorescent or phosphorescent smallmolecule emitter. A dendrimer may be a “small molecule,” and it isbelieved that all dendrimers currently used in the field of OLEDs aresmall molecules.

As used herein, “top” means furthest away from the substrate, while“bottom” means closest to the substrate. Where a first layer isdescribed as “disposed over” a second layer, the first layer is disposedfurther away from substrate. There may be other layers between the firstand second layer, unless it is specified that the first layer is “incontact with” the second layer. For example, a cathode may be describedas “disposed over” an anode, even though there are various organiclayers in between.

As used herein, “solution processible” means capable of being dissolved,dispersed, or transported in and/or deposited from a liquid medium,either in solution or suspension form.

A ligand may be referred to as “photoactive” when it is believed thatthe ligand directly contributes to the photoactive properties of anemissive material. A ligand may be referred to as “ancillary” when it isbelieved that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactiveproperties of an emissive material, although an ancillary ligand mayalter the properties of a photoactive ligand.

As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled inthe art, a first “Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital” (HOMO) or “LowestUnoccupied Molecular Orbital” (LUMO) energy level is “greater than” or“higher than” a second HOMO or LUMO energy level if the first energylevel is closer to the vacuum energy level. Since ionization potentials(IP) are measured as a negative energy relative to a vacuum level, ahigher HOMO energy level corresponds to an IP having a smaller absolutevalue (an IP that is less negative). Similarly, a higher LUMO energylevel corresponds to an electron affinity (EA) having a smaller absolutevalue (an EA that is less negative). On a conventional energy leveldiagram, with the vacuum level at the top, the LUMO energy level of amaterial is higher than the HOMO energy level of the same material. A“higher” HOMO or LUMO energy level appears closer to the top of such adiagram than a “lower” HOMO or LUMO energy level.

As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled inthe art, a first work function is “greater than” or “higher than” asecond work function if the first work function has a higher absolutevalue. Because work functions are generally measured as negative numbersrelative to vacuum level, this means that a “higher” work function ismore negative. On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuumlevel at the top, a “higher” work function is illustrated as furtheraway from the vacuum level in the downward direction. Thus, thedefinitions of HOMO and LUMO energy levels follow a different conventionthan work functions.

More details on OLEDs, and the definitions described above, can be foundin U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, an organic light emitting diode/device(OLED) is also provided. The OLED can include an anode, a cathode, andan organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode. Accordingto an embodiment, the organic light emitting device is incorporated intoone or more device selected from a consumer product, an electroniccomponent module, and/or a lighting panel.

According to an embodiment, a device may have a first depositor thatincludes one or more delivery apertures surrounded by one or moreexhaust apertures, where the one or more delivery apertures and the oneor more exhaust apertures are enclosed within a perimeter of a boss thatprotrudes from a substrate-facing side of the one or more deliveryapertures. The delivery channels for the one or more delivery aperturesand exhaust channels for the one or more exhaust apertures may be routedorthogonally to each other. The one or more delivery apertures may beconfigured to permit jets of delivery gas pass through a lower surfaceof the first depositor. The lower surface of the first depositor mayinclude the one or more exhaust apertures to remove surplus vapor from adelivery zone.

The one or more exhaust apertures of the device may be a single ovalexhaust aperture. The single oval exhaust may be formed using a SOI(silicon-on-insulator) dissolved wafer process disclosed herein. Thedevice may include a second depositor, where each of the first andsecond depositors is enclosed within its own boss or is arranged on acommon boss. The first depositor and the second depositor may bearranged in different ranks, and a printing pitch may be defined by theshortest distance orthogonal to a print direction between centers of thefirst and second depositors.

The exhaust channels of the device may be in a plane of the one or moredelivery apertures, and the delivery channels may be enclosed withinpillars normal to the plane of the one or more delivery apertures thatextend through the exhaust channel layer. The delivery channels mayreceive delivery gas to provide to the one or more delivery apertures,and the delivery channel may include a plurality of sub-channels througha lower surface of the first depositor that each feed a differentdelivery aperture of the one or more delivery apertures. At least onedelivery via may be disposed at an opposite end of the delivery channelsfrom the one or more delivery apertures, where the at least one deliveryvia may receive delivery gas for the first depositor.

The process gas may be drawn through the one or more exhaust aperturesand exits through the exhaust channels of the device. The confinementgas may be distributed via a recess disposed adjacent to the boss of thefirst depositor. The exhaust channels of the device may form continuouscavities that are separated by walls. An arrangement of the exhaustchannels may be parallel to a print direction, and/or may have anannular ring arrangement. A shape of the one or more delivery aperturesmay be circular apertures or slit apertures. Jets from the circularapertures diverge in all directions in a substrate plane when impingedon a substrate or diverge in orthonormal directions, and the jets fromthe slit apertures diverge in directions orthonormal to a substratenormal and a major axis of a slit of the slit apertures.

The device may include confinement apertures with planes parallel to asubstrate plane, where the confinement apertures are positioned on thedeposition bosses. The confinement channels of the device may beinterdigitated with the exhaust channels. The first depositor and otherdepositors may be arranged in banks, where each bank deposits adifferent emissive layer composition to produce a different color of anorganic light emitting device. The banks may be offset from each otheralong a print direction by a subpixel separation for each color.

According to an embodiment, a method of forming a print head may includeforming an upper portion of a micronozzle array on a first side of adouble side polished (DSP) silicon wafer, covering a first surface ofthe DSP silicon wafer with a photolithography patterned mask, etchingblind holes into the first surface of the DSP silicon wafer using deepreactive ion etching (DRIE) to form delivery vias and delivery channelsof the micronozzle array, and etching a second side of the DSP siliconwafer using a nested mask that is patterned with photolithography toform exhaust channels and internal pillars. The silicon wafer may beapproximately 500 μm in thickness.

The upstream portions of the delivery channels may be formed so as to bewider than a downstream portions of the delivery channels. The upstreamportions and the downstream portions of the delivery channels may beformed using a nested mask and a two-stage etch. A total etch depth ofthe two-stage etch for the delivery via and the delivery channels may be400-450 μm. The etching the second side of the DSP silicon wafer may beperformed in two stages, which include etching a lower surface to adepth of 200-300 μm to define the exhaust channels and the internalpillars of the micronozzle array, where each pillar surrounds a deliverychannel and separates it from a surrounding exhaust channel, and etchingan opening over a face of the internal pillars to create a through holefor the delivery channels. A lower portion of the micronozzle array maybe defined in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The SOI wafer may havea thickness of 100 μm.

The method may include masking a device layer and patterning the devicelayer with photolithography, etching the device layer throughapproximately two-thirds of its thickness with DRIE to form anelliptical trench to form part of the exhaust channels, and forming acentral rectangular trench to be part of the delivery channels. Themethod may include joining a handle to a device layer by an oxide layer,where the handle provides mechanical support for the device layer duringprocessing. The method may include bonding the DSP and SOI wafers, wherea joint connects the faces of the pillars on the DSP wafer to the ridgesof the SOI wafers to form a seal that separates the delivery channelsand the exhaust channels into distinct flow paths. The method mayinclude removing the handle layer, patterning a nested etch mask on theunderside of the device layer using photolithography, and etching theunderside of the wafer. The etching may include etching to define raisedregions on the underside of the micronozzle array and the exhaustapertures, and etching to define and open the delivery apertures byremoving portions of a silicon membrane covering a central trenchleading to the delivery channels. The delivery apertures may be definedby direct photolithography patterning, followed by etching through ashallow membrane.

The method may include connecting exhaust apertures to the exhaustchannels through a dogleg structure, where an upper portion of thedogleg is formed by elliptical trench etched on a SOI wafer, and a lowerportion of the dogleg is formed by the nested etch on the underside of aSOI device layer. The method may include metallizing an exposed portionof the DSP silicon wafer face after etching, forming a film stack thatincludes an adhesion layer, a diffusion blocking layer, and a cappinglayer, and separating the micronozzle arrays by dicing the DSP siliconwafer. The method may include forming a seal between the micronozzlearray and a manifold, where the manifold may provide the micronozzlearray with delivery gas having organic vapor, and that withdraws astream of exhaust gasses from the exhaust channels. The method mayinclude forming a joint between the DSP silicon wafer and a face of acarrier plate, where the delivery vias and exhaust vias on the DSPsilicon wafer match ports of the carrier plate and forming a jointbetween the carrier plate and the manifold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an organic light emitting device.

FIG. 2 shows an inverted organic light emitting device that does nothave a separate electron transport layer.

FIG. 3A shows a depositor on an in-plane micronozzle array die accordingto an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3B shows a multi-depositor bank on an in-plane micronozzle arraydie according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 shows an internal cross section of a depositor on an in-planemicronozzle array die according to an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 5A shows an exhaust channel layout of from the depositor side of anin-plane micronozzle array die according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 5B shows the exhaust channel layout from the via side of anin-plane micronozzle array die according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of an RGB pixel design compatible with OVJPaccording to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7A shows a delivery and exhaust aperture configuration of adepositor to print devices with a 25 μm wide active area according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7B shows a delivery and exhaust aperture configuration of adepositor to print devices with a 50 μm wide active area according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 8A shows a thickness cross section of a line printed by a depositorto print devices with a 25 μm wide active area according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 8B shows a thickness cross section of a line printed by a depositoroptimized to print devices with a 50 μm wide active area according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIGS. 9A-9B show operations for etching channels and vias into a doubleside polished Si wafer used to assemble micronozzle arrays according toembodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIGS. 10A-10C show operations for etching a SOI wafer, bonding it to aDSP wafer, and completing the micronozzle arrays according toembodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 11A shows the attachment of a die containing a micronozzle array toa process gas manifold through a carrier plate according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 11B shows a carrier plate according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 12A shows depositors in which confinement gas is fed to thedeposition zone through confinement apertures according to an embodimentof the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 12B shows a channel configuration for a micronozzle array in whichconfinement gas is fed to the deposition zone of each depositor throughconfinement apertures according to an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 13 shows a channel configuration for a micronozzle array havingthree banks of depositors to permit three colors of EML (emissive layer)to be deposited simultaneously according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 14 shows the dimensional arrangement delivery apertures accordingto an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, an OLED comprises at least one organic layer disposed betweenand electrically connected to an anode and a cathode. When a current isapplied, the anode injects holes and the cathode injects electrons intothe organic layer(s). The injected holes and electrons each migratetoward the oppositely charged electrode. When an electron and holelocalize on the same molecule, an “exciton,” which is a localizedelectron-hole pair having an excited energy state, is formed. Light isemitted when the exciton relaxes via a photoemissive mechanism. In somecases, the exciton may be localized on an excimer or an exciplex.Non-radiative mechanisms, such as thermal relaxation, may also occur,but are generally considered undesirable.

The initial OLEDs used emissive molecules that emitted light from theirsinglet states (“fluorescence”) as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat.No. 4,769,292, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.Fluorescent emission generally occurs in a time frame of less than 10nanoseconds.

More recently, OLEDs having emissive materials that emit light fromtriplet states (“phosphorescence”) have been demonstrated. Baldo et al.,“Highly Efficient Phosphorescent Emission from OrganicElectroluminescent Devices,” Nature, vol. 395, 151-154, 1998;(“Baldo-I”) and Baldo et al., “Very high-efficiency green organiclight-emitting devices based on electrophosphorescence,” Appl. Phys.Lett., vol. 75, No. 3, 4-6 (1999) (“Baldo-II”), are incorporated byreference in their entireties. Phosphorescence is described in moredetail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704 at cols. 5-6, which are incorporatedby reference.

FIG. 1 shows an organic light emitting device 100. The figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Device 100 may include a substrate 110, ananode 115, a hole injection layer 120, a hole transport layer 125, anelectron blocking layer 130, an emissive layer 135, a hole blockinglayer 140, an electron transport layer 145, an electron injection layer150, a protective layer 155, a cathode 160, and a barrier layer 170.Cathode 160 is a compound cathode having a first conductive layer 162and a second conductive layer 164. Device 100 may be fabricated bydepositing the layers described, in order. The properties and functionsof these various layers, as well as example materials, are described inmore detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704 at cols. 6-10, which areincorporated by reference.

More examples for each of these layers are available. For example, aflexible and transparent substrate-anode combination is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,844,363, which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety. An example of a p-doped hole transport layer is m-MTDATA dopedwith F₄-TCNQ at a molar ratio of 50:1, as disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2003/0230980, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety. Examples of emissive and host materials aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,238 to Thompson et al., which isincorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of an n-dopedelectron transport layer is BPhen doped with Li at a molar ratio of 1:1,as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0230980,which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. Nos.5,703,436 and 5,707,745, which are incorporated by reference in theirentireties, disclose examples of cathodes including compound cathodeshaving a thin layer of metal such as Mg:Ag with an overlyingtransparent, electrically-conductive, sputter-deposited ITO layer. Thetheory and use of blocking layers is described in more detail in U.S.Pat. No. 6,097,147 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2003/0230980, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.Examples of injection layers are provided in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2004/0174116, which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety. A description of protective layers may be found in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2004/0174116, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIG. 2 shows an inverted OLED 200. The device includes a substrate 210,a cathode 215, an emissive layer 220, a hole transport layer 225, and ananode 230. Device 200 may be fabricated by depositing the layersdescribed, in order. Because the most common OLED configuration has acathode disposed over the anode, and device 200 has cathode 215 disposedunder anode 230, device 200 may be referred to as an “inverted” OLED.Materials similar to those described with respect to device 100 may beused in the corresponding layers of device 200. FIG. 2 provides oneexample of how some layers may be omitted from the structure of device100.

The simple layered structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided byway of non-limiting example, and it is understood that embodiments ofthe invention may be used in connection with a wide variety of otherstructures. The specific materials and structures described areexemplary in nature, and other materials and structures may be used.Functional OLEDs may be achieved by combining the various layersdescribed in different ways, or layers may be omitted entirely, based ondesign, performance, and cost factors. Other layers not specificallydescribed may also be included. Materials other than those specificallydescribed may be used. Although many of the examples provided hereindescribe various layers as comprising a single material, it isunderstood that combinations of materials, such as a mixture of host anddopant, or more generally a mixture, may be used. Also, the layers mayhave various sublayers. The names given to the various layers herein arenot intended to be strictly limiting. For example, in device 200, holetransport layer 225 transports holes and injects holes into emissivelayer 220, and may be described as a hole transport layer or a holeinjection layer. In one embodiment, an OLED may be described as havingan “organic layer” disposed between a cathode and an anode. This organiclayer may comprise a single layer, or may further comprise multiplelayers of different organic materials as described, for example, withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Structures and materials not specifically described may also be used,such as OLEDs comprised of polymeric materials (PLEDs) such as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,190 to Friend et al., which is incorporated byreference in its entirety. By way of further example, OLEDs having asingle organic layer may be used. OLEDs may be stacked, for example asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,745 to Forrest et al, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety. The OLED structure maydeviate from the simple layered structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.For example, the substrate may include an angled reflective surface toimprove out-coupling, such as a mesa structure as described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,091,195 to Forrest et al., and/or a pit structure as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,834,893 to Bulovic et al., which are incorporated byreference in their entireties.

Unless otherwise specified, any of the layers of the various embodimentsmay be deposited by any suitable method. For the organic layers,preferred methods include thermal evaporation, ink-jet, such asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,013,982 and 6,087,196, which areincorporated by reference in their entireties, organic vapor phasedeposition (OVPD), such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,102 toForrest et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, anddeposition by organic vapor jet printing (OVJP), such as described inU.S. Pat. No. 7,431,968, which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety. Other suitable deposition methods include spin coating andother solution based processes. Solution based processes are preferablycarried out in nitrogen or an inert atmosphere. For the other layers,preferred methods include thermal evaporation. Preferred patterningmethods include deposition through a mask, cold welding such asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,294,398 and 6,468,819, which areincorporated by reference in their entireties, and patterning associatedwith some of the deposition methods such as ink-jet and OVJD. Othermethods may also be used. The materials to be deposited may be modifiedto make them compatible with a particular deposition method. Forexample, substituents such as alkyl and aryl groups, branched orunbranched, and preferably containing at least 3 carbons, may be used insmall molecules to enhance their ability to undergo solution processing.Substituents having 20 carbons or more may be used, and 3-20 carbons isa preferred range. Materials with asymmetric structures may have bettersolution processibility than those having symmetric structures, becauseasymmetric materials may have a lower tendency to recrystallize.Dendrimer substituents may be used to enhance the ability of smallmolecules to undergo solution processing.

Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention may further optionally comprise a barrier layer. One purposeof the barrier layer is to protect the electrodes and organic layersfrom damaging exposure to harmful species in the environment includingmoisture, vapor and/or gases, etc. The barrier layer may be depositedover, under or next to a substrate, an electrode, or over any otherparts of a device including an edge. The barrier layer may comprise asingle layer, or multiple layers. The barrier layer may be formed byvarious known chemical vapor deposition techniques and may includecompositions having a single phase as well as compositions havingmultiple phases. Any suitable material or combination of materials maybe used for the barrier layer. The barrier layer may incorporate aninorganic or an organic compound or both. The preferred barrier layercomprises a mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric materialas described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,968,146, PCT Pat. Application Nos.PCT/US2007/023098 and PCT/US2009/042829, which are herein incorporatedby reference in their entireties. To be considered a “mixture”, theaforesaid polymeric and non-polymeric materials comprising the barrierlayer should be deposited under the same reaction conditions and/or atthe same time. The weight ratio of polymeric to non-polymeric materialmay be in the range of 95:5 to 5:95. The polymeric material and thenon-polymeric material may be created from the same precursor material.In one example, the mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymericmaterial consists essentially of polymeric silicon and inorganicsilicon.

Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments of the invention canbe incorporated into a wide variety of electronic component modules (orunits) that can be incorporated into a variety of electronic products orintermediate components. Examples of such electronic products orintermediate components include display screens, lighting devices suchas discrete light source devices or lighting panels, etc. that can beutilized by the end-user product manufacturers. Such electroniccomponent modules can optionally include the driving electronics and/orpower source(s). Devices fabricated in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention can be incorporated into a wide variety of consumerproducts that have one or more of the electronic component modules (orunits) incorporated therein. A consumer product comprising an OLED thatincludes the compound of the present disclosure in the organic layer inthe OLED is disclosed. Such consumer products would include any kind ofproducts that include one or more light source(s) and/or one or more ofsome type of visual displays. Some examples of such consumer productsinclude flat panel displays, computer monitors, medical monitors,televisions, billboards, lights for interior or exterior illuminationand/or signaling, heads-up displays, fully or partially transparentdisplays, flexible displays, laser printers, telephones, mobile phones,tablets, phablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wearable devices,laptop computers, digital cameras, camcorders, viewfinders,micro-displays (displays that are less than 2 inches diagonal), 3-Ddisplays, virtual reality or augmented reality displays, vehicles, videowalls comprising multiple displays tiled together, theater or stadiumscreen, and a sign. Various control mechanisms may be used to controldevices fabricated in accordance with the present invention, includingpassive matrix and active matrix. Many of the devices are intended foruse in a temperature range comfortable to humans, such as 18 C to 30 C,and more preferably at room temperature (20-25 C), but could be usedoutside this temperature range, for example, from −40 C to 80 C.

The materials and structures described herein may have applications indevices other than OLEDs. For example, other optoelectronic devices suchas organic solar cells and organic photodetectors may employ thematerials and structures. More generally, organic devices, such asorganic transistors, may employ the materials and structures.

In some embodiments, the OLED has one or more characteristics selectedfrom the group consisting of being flexible, being rollable, beingfoldable, being stretchable, and being curved. In some embodiments, theOLED is transparent or semi-transparent. In some embodiments, the OLEDfurther comprises a layer comprising carbon nanotubes.

In some embodiments, the OLED further comprises a layer comprising adelayed fluorescent emitter. In some embodiments, the OLED comprises aRGB pixel arrangement or white plus color filter pixel arrangement. Insome embodiments, the OLED is a mobile device, a hand held device, or awearable device. In some embodiments, the OLED is a display panel havingless than 10 inch diagonal or 50 square inch area. In some embodiments,the OLED is a display panel having at least 10 inch diagonal or 50square inch area. In some embodiments, the OLED is a lighting panel.

In some embodiments of the emissive region, the emissive region furthercomprises a host.

In some embodiments, the compound can be an emissive dopant. In someembodiments, the compound can produce emissions via phosphorescence,fluorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, i.e., TADF (alsoreferred to as E-type delayed fluorescence), triplet-tripletannihilation, or combinations of these processes.

The OLED disclosed herein can be incorporated into one or more of aconsumer product, an electronic component module, and a lighting panel.The organic layer can be an emissive layer and the compound can be anemissive dopant in some embodiments, while the compound can be anon-emissive dopant in other embodiments.

The organic layer can also include a host. In some embodiments, two ormore hosts are preferred. In some embodiments, the hosts used maybe a)bipolar, b) electron transporting, c) hole transporting or d) wide bandgap materials that play little role in charge transport. In someembodiments, the host can include a metal complex. The host can be aninorganic compound.

Combination with Other Materials

The materials described herein as useful for a particular layer in anorganic light emitting device may be used in combination with a widevariety of other materials present in the device. For example, emissivedopants disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with a wide varietyof hosts, transport layers, blocking layers, injection layers,electrodes and other layers that may be present. The materials describedor referred to below are non-limiting examples of materials that may beuseful in combination with the compounds disclosed herein, and one ofskill in the art can readily consult the literature to identify othermaterials that may be useful in combination.

Various materials may be used for the various emissive and non-emissivelayers and arrangements disclosed herein. Examples of suitable materialsare disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0229663,which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Conductivity Dopants:

A charge transport layer can be doped with conductivity dopants tosubstantially alter its density of charge carriers, which will in turnalter its conductivity. The conductivity is increased by generatingcharge carriers in the matrix material, and depending on the type ofdopant, a change in the Fermi level of the semiconductor may also beachieved. Hole-transporting layer can be doped by p-type conductivitydopants and n-type conductivity dopants are used in theelectron-transporting layer.

HIL/HTL:

A hole injecting/transporting material to be used in the presentinvention is not particularly limited, and any compound may be used aslong as the compound is typically used as a hole injecting/transportingmaterial.

EBL:

An electron blocking layer (EBL) may be used to reduce the number ofelectrons and/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. The presence ofsuch a blocking layer in a device may result in substantially higherefficiencies, and or longer lifetime, as compared to a similar devicelacking a blocking layer. Also, a blocking layer may be used to confineemission to a desired region of an OLED. In some embodiments, the EBLmaterial has a higher LUMO (closer to the vacuum level) and/or highertriplet energy than the emitter closest to the EBL interface. In someembodiments, the EBL material has a higher LUMO (closer to the vacuumlevel) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hostsclosest to the EBL interface. In one aspect, the compound used in EBLcontains the same molecule or the same functional groups used as one ofthe hosts described below.

Host:

The light emitting layer of the organic EL device of the presentinvention preferably contains at least a metal complex as light emittingmaterial, and may contain a host material using the metal complex as adopant material. Examples of the host material are not particularlylimited, and any metal complexes or organic compounds may be used aslong as the triplet energy of the host is larger than that of thedopant. Any host material may be used with any dopant so long as thetriplet criteria is satisfied.

HBL:

A hole blocking layer (HBL) may be used to reduce the number of holesand/or excitons that leave the emissive layer. The presence of such ablocking layer in a device may result in substantially higherefficiencies and/or longer lifetime as compared to a similar devicelacking a blocking layer. Also, a blocking layer may be used to confineemission to a desired region of an OLED. In some embodiments, the HBLmaterial has a lower HOMO (further from the vacuum level) and or highertriplet energy than the emitter closest to the HBL interface. In someembodiments, the HBL material has a lower HOMO (further from the vacuumlevel) and or higher triplet energy than one or more of the hostsclosest to the HBL interface.

ETL:

An electron transport layer (ETL) may include a material capable oftransporting electrons. The electron transport layer may be intrinsic(undoped), or doped. Doping may be used to enhance conductivity.Examples of the ETL material are not particularly limited, and any metalcomplexes or organic compounds may be used as long as they are typicallyused to transport electrons.

Charge Generation Layer (CGL)

In tandem or stacked OLEDs, the CGL plays an essential role in theperformance, which is composed of an n-doped layer and a p-doped layerfor injection of electrons and holes, respectively. Electrons and holesare supplied from the CGL and electrodes. The consumed electrons andholes in the CGL are refilled by the electrons and holes injected fromthe cathode and anode, respectively; then, the bipolar currents reach asteady state gradually. Typical CGL materials include n and pconductivity dopants used in the transport layers.

Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide architectures fordepositors in an OVJP (organic vapor jet printing) tool that utilizesthe DEC (delivery, exhaust, confinement) method to control the shape ofprinted features. Delivery and exhaust apertures may be in the plane ofthe die rather than on its edge. Many of the limitations of an edge-onmicronozzle array may be from a fabrication process that may not defineapertures directly by photolithography. An in-plane micronozzle arraysystem may be fabricated by a process in which apertures are defineddirectly by photolithography to meet submicron shape tolerances.Additionally, an in-plane print head may have channels abutting thedelivery and exhaust apertures that may be relatively short to maintainuniform flow resistance.

An in-plane print head may provide a higher linear density ofdepositors, and may allow for apertures to be fabricated to highertolerances and in more complex designs. The delivery and exhaustchannels may be disposed orthogonally to each other to both supplyprocess gas to and withdraw it from the close-coupled microstructures ofeach depositor. Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter also providemethods for fabricating arrays of these depositors and packaging themfor use.

FIG. 3A shows a depositor on an in-plane micronozzle array die accordingto an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The in-plane depositorincludes an array of delivery apertures 301 surrounded by one or moreexhaust apertures 302. A single oval exhaust aperture may be used. Thesingle oval exhaust may be formed using a SOI dissolved wafer processdisclosed herein. The delivery and exhaust apertures may be enclosedwithin the perimeter of a boss 303 that protrudes from the substratefacing side 304 of the micronozzle array.

A plurality of depositors 305 may be arranged in an array as shown inFIG. 3B. Routing of the delivery and exhaust channels to service eachdepositor 305 may have a greater width than the desired pitch of printedfeatures. Depositors 305 may be arranged in a plurality of ranks toprint at a finer pitch. Although first 306, second 307, and third 308ranks are shown in FIG. 3B, there may be greater or fewer ranks ofdepositors. The printing pitch may be defined by the shortest distance309 orthogonal to the print direction between the centers of twodepositors 305. Each depositor 305 may be on its own boss or a pluralityof depositors may be arranged on common bosses 310, as shown in FIG. 3B.

The delivery and exhaust apertures may both be etched into a thinmembrane. This creates the challenge of addressing two sets of aperturesdistributed over the membrane with two sets of channels behind themembrane. This may be solved by routing the delivery and exhaustchannels orthogonally to each other. The exhaust channels may be in theplane of the micronozzle array, while delivery channels may be enclosedwithin pillars normal to the plane of the micronozzle array that extendthrough the exhaust channel layer.

FIG. 4 shows an internal cross section of a depositor on an in-planemicronozzle array die according to an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter. Delivery apertures 401 may permit jets of delivery gasto pass through a membrane 402 that forms the lower surface of thedepositor. An oval exhaust aperture 403 may be cut into the membrane 402to remove surplus vapor from a delivery zone. The region of membrane 402between the delivery and exhaust apertures 404 may serve a functionanalogous to the DE spacers in edge-on embodiments of DEC OVJP. Theregion of membrane 402 between the delivery and exhaust apertures 404may provide a confined flow path between a delivery aperture and itsclosest exhaust aperture that brings the delivery jet into close contactwith the substrate 405. A ring 406 of the membrane surrounding theexhaust aperture 403 may function similarly to the EC spacer describedthroughout, where the EC spacer may be a distance between an exhaustaperture and a confinement aperture. The ring 406 of the membrane maycollimate the flow of confinement gas to better block the spreading ofdelivery gas beyond the exhaust aperture.

Delivery gas may be provided to the delivery aperture 401 through adelivery channel 407. Its narrowest portion may include a plurality ofsub-channels 408 through the membrane 402 that each feed a differentdelivery aperture 401. At the opposite end of the delivery channel 407may be a delivery via 409 into which delivery gas for the depositor isfed. The confined geometry at the downstream end of the channel may havesmall features, while larger features may provide for a low-impedanceflow path. The delivery channel 407 may begin wide, and may narrow basedon the amount of space available. Process gas drawn through the exhaustapertures 403 may leave through the exhaust channels 410. Like thedelivery channel 407, the exhaust channel 410 may be narrow near theapertures 403 and wider further from them. The wide portion of theexhaust channel 410 connects to exhaust vias (not shown). The wideportion of the exhaust channel 410 may connect to the exhaust aperture403 through a dogleg 411. Confinement gas may be distributed betweendepositors through recesses 412 etched into the underside of themicronozzle array between the depositor bosses.

FIG. 5A shows an exhaust channel layout of from the depositor side of anin-plane micronozzle array die, and FIG. 5B shows the exhaust channellayout from the via side of an in-plane micronozzle array die accordingto embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

That is, FIG. 5A shows the underside, as seen from the substrate, andFIG. 5B shows the vias that connect to a delivery gas source and anexhaust sink. Exhaust channels may extend between the front 501 and rear502 of the array. Exhaust channels may run behind the depositors and maybe sufficiently wide to evenly provide exhaust extraction. Typically,the depositors 503 may sit within the in-plane extent of an exhaustchannel. The exhaust channels may be separated by solid walls, or theymay form a continuous cavity supported by discontinuous walls made formsolid pillars. The walls between channels may be represented by dashedlines 504. Exhaust channels may be parallel to the print direction, orthey may be angled (as shown in FIG. 5B) to accommodate multiple ranksof depositors. Exhaust channels may extend between exhaust vias 505located near the front and rear edges 501, 502 of the micronozzle array.Withdrawing exhaust from both ends of the channel may improve bothexhaust conductance and the uniformity of exhaust service to depositorson a common exhaust channel. Delivery vias 506 may correspond todepositors 503 on the opposite side. Delivery channels may extenddownward from every delivery via and may orthogonally cross the exhaustaperture to connect to the depositor. Delivery vias may be arrangedindividually or in ranked clusters (as shown in FIG. 5A), depending onthe depositor arrangement.

The arrangement presented in FIGS. 3A-5B may be a preferred embodiment,although alternate configurations may be possible, so long as theexhaust aperture is in a position to capture all of the streamlines ofgas flow emitted from the delivery apertures under operationalcondition. Round apertures may improve material utilization efficiencyrelative to slit nozzles. The jet from a round aperture may diverge inall directions in the substrate plane when it impinges on the substrate.This may bring a greater fraction of organic vapor laden gas from thejet into contact with the substrate. The jet from a slit nozzle maydiverge in directions orthonormal to the substrate normal and the majoraxis of the slit. Depositors may typically be much longer than they arewide. A long array of delivery apertures may present a narrow sectionperpendicular to the direction of printing while maximizing the deliveryaperture area over printing zones. This optimizes printing speed withoutincreasing feature size.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of an RGB pixel design compatible with OVJPaccording to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The pixel601 may include three separate electrodes that define the active area ofblue 602, green 603, and red 604 subpixels. The subpixels may beseparated by a margin 605 that is masked with an insulating gridmaterial. A thin film feature deposited by OVJP may have uniformthickness within the active area of a subpixel and it may not extendinto the active area of a neighboring subpixel. Printed features may beno wider than the subpixel width plus two times the margin width, lesspositioning tolerances. A typical pixel in an 8K display may havefeature sizes of less than 110 μm for blue pixels and 85 μm for red andgreen pixels. The region of controlled thickness uniformity may be thewidth of the subpixel plus positioning tolerances, and uniformity may begreater than 95% to print a useful subpixel. The uniformity over width wmay be defined in eq. 1 below. The uniform region may be typically atleast 50 μm wide for blue subpixels and 25 μm wide for red and greensubpixels.

$\begin{matrix}{U_{w} = \frac{{\max( {\frac{- w}{2},\frac{w}{2}} )} - {\min( {\frac{- w}{2},\frac{w}{2}} )}}{{avg}( {\frac{- w}{2},\frac{w}{2}} )}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

Two variations of this depositor type are show in FIGS. 7A-7B. FIG. 7Ashows a delivery and exhaust aperture configuration of a depositor toprint devices with a 25 μm wide active area according to an embodimentof the disclosed subject matter. The depositor of FIG. 7A may beconfigured to print red and green devices. The circular deliveryapertures 701 may be arranged in rows of four orthogonal to the printdirection. As shown in the example of FIG. 7A, spacing between aperturesmay equidistant, but the row is shifted slightly to one side. Theadjacent rows 702 may be a mirror image, shifted to the other side. Thelateral dithering of apertures created by mirroring may distributedelivery jets more evenly over the printing zone. The lateral ditheringof apertures may also permit apertures to be packed more densely. Asingle elliptical exhaust aperture 703 may surrounds the array ofdelivery apertures. The delivery and exhaust apertures may sit on araised boss 704, which may be surrounded by recesses 705 to permit thefree flow of confinement gas between depositors.

A scale bar 706 indicates a width of 50 μm. FIG. 7B shows a delivery andexhaust aperture configuration of a depositor to print devices with a 50μm wide active area according to an embodiment of the disclosed subjectmatter. The wider depositor of FIG. 7B may be configured to print theblue devices. The delivery apertures may be arranged in wider rows offive 707, but the design is otherwise similar to that shown in FIG. 7A.A plurality of delivery apertures may be preferable to fewer deliveryapertures for uniformity and sidewall sharpness, while wider aperturesmay improve utilization efficiency. The aperture density may be balancedagainst the size of individual apertures.

The deposition thickness profiles of features printed by the depositorsin FIGS. 7A-7B are plotted in FIGS. 8A-8B, where FIG. 8A shows athickness cross section of a line printed by a depositor to printdevices with a 25 μm wide active area, and FIG. 8B shows a thicknesscross section of a line printed by a depositor optimized to printdevices with a 50 μm wide active area according to embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter. The horizontal axis 801 shown in FIGS. 8A-8Bmay give distance from the center of the depositor orthogonal to thedirection of printing in microns. The vertical axis 802 shown in FIGS.8A-8B may indicate thickness in arbitrary units.

The plotted curve 803 in FIG. 8A may indicate the cross sectionalthickness profile of the feature printed by the depositor in FIG. 6A.The outermost vertical lines 804 shown in FIG. 8A indicate a totalallowed width of the printed feature. The profile of the feature may notextend beyond lines 804. The feature width may be under specification,with FW5M=60.8 μm. The inner vertical lines 805 may indicate the 25 μmwidth over which uniformity may be controlled. This may correspond tothe width of the active area of the printed device. The pair ofhorizontal lines 806 may indicate the maximum and minimum thickness forthis region. The profile may lie within the rectangle formed by thehorizontal lines 806 and inner vertical lines 805, indicating thatthickness uniformity is within specification. In this case, U₂₅=98.4%when w=25 in equation (1) above.

The plotted curve 807 in FIG. 8B may indicate the cross sectionalthickness profile of the feature printed by the depositor in FIG. 6B.This feature may be allowed to be wider that the feature of FIG. 6A. Theouter vertical lines 808 may indicate the maximum allowed feature widthof 110 μm. The actual FW5M=90.0 μm may be inside of the feature widthspecification. The inner vertical lines 809 may indicate the 50 μm widthover which uniformity is controlled. The area bounded by the horizontallines 810 and inner vertical lines 809 may represent a window for 95%thickness uniformity. It may enclose the profile, and U₅₀=97.1% whenw=50 in equation (1) above.

An embodiment of an in-plane print head may be fabricated by thefollowing process. Other processes may be possible to produce similarstructures and processing of this structure may vary considerably fromthe process flow presented. FIGS. 9A-9B show operations for etchingchannels and vias into a double side polished Si wafer used to assemblemicronozzle arrays according to embodiments of the disclosed subjectmatter.

The upper portion of the micronozzle array may be formed from a doubleside polished (DSP) Si wafer of approximately 500 μm in thickness. Itstop surface may be covered with a photolithographically patterned mask.Blind holes may be etched into the wafer face with deep reactive ionetching (DRIE). FIG. 9A shows the wafer after the top surface of thewafer is etched. The etchings may form the delivery vias 901 anddelivery channels of the micronozzle array. The upstream portion of thedelivery channel may be wider than the downstream portion to reduce theimpedance to delivery flow. This may be achieved using a nested mask anda two stage etch. The total etch depth may be 400-450 μm. A Si membrane902 may be disposed between the floor of the etching and the undersideof the wafer.

The opposite side of the wafer may be etched to the configuration shownin FIG. 9B. A nested mask on the lower surface of the wafer may bepatterned with photolithography. The etching may be performed in twostages. The lower surface may be first etched to a depth of 200-300 μmto define the exhaust channels 903 and internal pillars 904 of themicronozzle array. Each pillar may surround a delivery channel and mayseparate it from the surrounding exhaust channel. The pillars may havean elliptical cross section. The second stage of the etch may open theSi membrane over the face of the pillar to create a through hole 905 forthe delivery channel.

FIGS. 10A-10C show operations for etching a SOI wafer, bonding it to aDSP wafer, and completing the micronozzle arrays according toembodiments of the disclosed subject matter. The lower portion of themicronozzle array may be defined in a SOI wafer with a relatively thickdevice layer 1001 of 100 μm as shown in FIG. 10A. A SOI wafer may permitthin and/or delicate structures to be fabricated in the device layer1001 prior to bonding. The device layer 1001 may be masked and patternedwith photolithography. The device layer 1001 may be etched throughapproximately two thirds of its thickness with DRIE to form anelliptical trench 1002 that will become part of the exhaust channel. Acentral rectangular trench 1003 produced in the same step may becomepart of the delivery channel 1001. The elliptical and rectangulartrenches may be separated by an elliptical ridge 1004 that correspondsto the pillar on the DSP wafer. This ridge 1004 may bond to the pillarand seal the delivery and exhaust channels from each other when the twowafers are bonded. A handle layer 1005 may be joined to the device layer1001 by an oxide layer 1006. The handle layer 1005 may providemechanical support for the device layer 1001 during processing.

The DSP and SOI wafers may be bonded as shown in FIG. 10B. The joint1007 may connect the faces of the pillars on the DSP wafer bond to theridges on the SOI wafers. This may form a seal that separates thedelivery and exhaust channels into distinct flow paths. Walls betweenetched exhaust channel trenches on the DSP wafer (not shown) may bond tothe face of the SOI wafer. The handle layer 1005 may be removed to yieldthe structure in FIG. 10C. A nested etch mask may be patterned on theunderside of the device layer using photolithography. The buried oxidelayer may comprise part of the nested mask.

The underside of the wafer may be etched in two steps. The first, deeperetch may be used to define both the raised regions 1007 on the undersideof the micronozzle array and the exhaust apertures 1008. The second etchmay define and opens the delivery apertures 1009 by removing portions ofthe Si membrane covering the central trench 1003 leading to the deliverychannel 1010. The delivery apertures 1009 may be defined by directphotolithographic patterning followed by etching through a shallowmembrane. This may permit the delivery apertures 1009 and distalportions of the delivery channels 1010 to be fabricated to very tighttolerances and may ensure a uniform array.

The exhaust aperture 1008 may connect to the exhaust channel through adogleg structure illustrated in the inset. The dogleg exhaust channelextends through the device layer membrane. The upper portion 1011 of thedogleg may be formed by the elliptical trench 1002 etched in the firstetch step on the SOI wafer. The lower portion 1012 of the dogleg may beformed by the nested etch on the underside of the SOI device layer 1001.The unmasked regions of the two etches partially overlap in the plane ofthe wafer. The width 1013 of this region of overlap is illustrated inthe inset of FIG. 10C. Each etched region overlaps the other for a smallportion of its area. The upper and lower trenches may connect to form achannel through the membrane when etched. The height of the overlap 1014where the trenches are open to each other may extend from the floor ofthe elliptical trench 1015 in the SOI face to the floor 1016 of theexhaust aperture trench etched into the underside of the device layer.The exhaust aperture width 1017 may be defined directly byphotolithography. The performance of a depositor may be less dependenton the internal dimensions of the dogleg. The dogleg structure mayprovide a sufficiently wide bonding surface 1018 on the ridge for thepillar on the DSP wafer in cases where the spacing 1019 between deliveryand exhaust apertures may be very small. Small delivery to exhaustaperture spacing may be used to print fine features.

After etching is complete, the exposed DSP wafer face may be metallizedto facilitate soldering to a carrier plate. The film stack 1020 mayinclude an adhesion layer, a diffusion blocking layer, and a cappinglayer. Titanium, platinum, and gold may work well in these respectiveapplications. The micronozzle arrays may be separated by dicing thewafer. Each of the resulting dies may include a micronozzle array.

FIG. 11A shows the attachment of a die containing a micronozzle array toa process gas manifold through a carrier plate according to anembodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The micronozzle array 1101may form a gas-tight seal with a manifold 1102 within the depositionchamber of the OVJP tool. The manifold 1102 may provide the micronozzlearray with a feed of heated delivery gas including organic vapor, andmay withdraw a stream of exhaust gasses from the exhaust channels.Process gasses may be transported by runlines 1103 within the manifold1102. The configuration of the die and manifold system is shown in FIG.11A. The die may be attached to a carrier plate 1104 to facilitateattachment to the manifold. The die and carrier plate 1104 may besoldered or brazed together in a preferred embodiment. Other die attachmethods like anodic bonding or diffusion welding may be used. Theattachment operation may form a permanent joint 1105 between the DSPwafer side of a die and a face of the carrier plate 1104. The deliveryand exhaust vias 1106 on the die may match to ports 1107 on the carrierplate 1104. The joint 1105 may form a gas tight seal around these portsand vias. A second joint 1108 may seal the carrier plate to themanifold. It may be possible to disassemble the second joint 1108 formaintenance operations on the print head. The die and carrier plate 1104may form a replicable component of the print head, while the manifold1102 may be a permanent component. A gasket 1109, such as a metalc-ring, may seal the joint between the die and carrier plate 1104. Thedie may not be sealed directly to the manifold 1102, since a metalcarrier plate 1104 may provide sufficient pressure on the gaskets 1109.The glands 1110 to seat the gaskets 1109 may be milled into the manifold1102 to simply the carrier plate 1104. Pressure for the metal gasketseal between the carrier plate 1104 and the manifold 1102 may beprovided by bolts 1111.

The carrier plate 1104 may be made of metal. Molybdenum may be preferredfor braze and/or solder attachment because it matches the coefficient ofthermal expansion (CTE) of Si well from room temperature to the reflowtemperature of relatively high melting solders like Au/In alloy. TheOVJP tool may operate at temperatures of up to 350° C. or more, so CTEmay match over a very wide range of temperatures for a reliable bond.The carrier plate 1104 may be milled, ground, lapped, and polished toprovide a compatible bonding surface with the micronozzle array 1101 onone side and a metal gasket sealing surface on the other side. Thecarrier plate 1104 may be electroplated with additional metal layers andcapped with gold to improve wetting of the solder. The micronozzle array1101 and carrier plate 1104 may be aligned and joined at hightemperature under pressure. Bonding may be performed in room air or avacuum, inert, or reducing atmosphere.

FIG. 11B shows an embodiment of a carrier plate in top (left) and bottom(right) views. A die including a micronozzle array may be bonded to araised, finished surface 1112 on the plate. The surface 1112 may beported with a slot 1113 that covers the surface area containing thedelivery vias on the die. This may connect the delivery vias on the dieto the delivery gas runline 1103 in the manifold 1102. There may be twoexhaust ports 1114, one on each side of the delivery gas port. Shorter,deeper slots connect the delivery 1115 and exhaust 1116 slots to thedelivery and exhaust gas ports extending through the carrier plate. Thecarrier plate 1104 may be bolted to the manifold through four bolt holes1117. Additional blind holes 1118 may permit the installation of dowelpins to align the die on the polished surface. The reverse side of thecarrier plate 1104 may provide a finished sealing surface 1119 for thegaskets 1109 between the carrier plate 1104 and the manifold 1102. Oneport 1120 on the surface may carry the delivery gas to its slot on thefront of the carrier plate 1104. The other port 1121 may draw exhaustgas from its corresponding slots.

An embodiment of the in-plane depositor may include confinementapertures with planes parallel to the substrate plane. FIG. 12A showsdepositors in which confinement gas is fed to the deposition zonethrough confinement apertures according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter. Confinement apertures 1201 may be positionedon the depositor bosses as shown in FIG. 12A. The confinement apertures1201 may be arranged in a line along the long edge of each boss.Confinement apertures 1201 may be positioned in the recesses 1202between bosses in addition to being disposed on the depositor bosses, orinstead of being disposed on the depositor bosses. Alternately, theunderside of the micronozzle array may be flat if it incorporatessufficient confinement apertures to facilitate uniform confinement flow.Confinement gas may be fed at positive pressure relative to thedeposition zone through channels located between the depositors.

FIG. 12B shows a channel configuration for a micronozzle array in whichconfinement gas is fed to the deposition zone of each depositor throughconfinement apertures according to an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter. Confinement channels 1203 may be interdigitated with theexhaust channels 1204 as shown in FIG. 12B. The confinement channels1203 and the exhaust channels 1204 may be separated by verticalsidewalls 1205 that provide structural support for the die while alsosealing the confinement and exhaust channel sets from each other. Theconfinement channels may be fed from a via on one side of the die 1206,while the exhaust channels are connected to a via 1207 on the otherside.

Another embodiment may include multicolor printing from a single die.FIG. 13 shows a channel configuration for a micronozzle array havingthree banks of depositors to permit three colors of EML (emissive layer)to be deposited simultaneously according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter. Although FIG. 13 shows the use of confinementapertures, some embodiments may not include confinement apertures.Depositors may be are arranged in three distinct banks, such that eachbank deposits a different emissive layer composition to produce adifferent color of OLED. The first bank 1301 may deposit material for ablue EML, while the second bank 1302 may deposit material for a greenEML, and the third bank 1303 may deposit material for a red EML. Thebanks may be offset from each other along the print direction by thesubpixel separation appropriate for each color. The correct delivery gasmixture for each bank of depositors is fed to it through its deliveryvias.

The interdigitated arrangement of exhaust and confinement channels maybe maintained. The exhaust channels servicing the blue depositors mayconnect to an exhaust via 1304 at the top of the array. Confinement andexhaust vias may address two banks of depositors, one on each side,where possible. Confinement gas may be fed to the blue and greendepositor banks through a common via 1305 between the two sets ofdepositors. Exhaust gasses may be extracted from the red and greendepositor banks through a common via 1306 between those two sets ofdepositors. Confinement gas for the red depositor bank may be fed from avia 1307 on the far side of it.

EXPERIMENTAL

FIG. 14 shows the dimensional parametrization of the depositorsaccording to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The diameterof the individual delivery apertures may be AD 1401. Delivery aperturesin an array may have a different shape or size then those shown in FIG.14. DE 1402 may be the separation between the exhaust aperture and thecenter of the closest delivery aperture. This aperture may be consideredthe outer aperture. Delivery apertures may be arranged in rowsorthogonal to the print direction. They may be spaced distance DD centerto center. The apertures need not be evenly spaced, as shown in FIG. 14.The distance between the outer aperture and its neighbor may be DD11403, the distance between the next neighbor pair may be DD2 1404, andso on. Rows may be separated by distance ΔY 1405 along the printdirection. Each row may be a mirror image of its neighbors, so that theside on which the outer aperture is distance DE from the nearest exhaustaperture alternates. The total width of the membrane containing thedelivery apertures between the inner edges of the exhaust apertures maybe TD 1406. Finally, the width of the exhaust aperture may be Ewd 1407.The total length in the print direction of the delivery aperture arraymay be 400 μm for both depositors. The separation between the membranecontaining the delivery apertures and the substrate is given by flyheight g.

TABLE 1 Simulated Depositor Dimensions Dimension Red/Green Blue Dwd (μm)7.5 7.5 DE (μm) 5 5 DD (μm) 9 13 ΔY (μm) 10 10 TD (μm) 56 76 Ewd (μm) 1515 g (μm) 25 25

The gas ambient surrounding the depositor is argon at 200 Torr. Thedepositor may be heated to 600K and the substrate is cooled to 293K.Helium delivery gas may be fed to the depositor at 3 sccm. Ahelium/argon exhaust mixture is withdrawn at a rate of 14sccm/depositor. All transport properties are calculated from kinetictheory (see, e.g., Deen et al., Transport Phenomena, pp. 14-20). Theorganic vapor is modeled as a dilute component of the gas mixture with amolecular mass of 500 g/mol and a molecular diameter of 1 nm.Simulations were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a finite elementmodeling software.

It is understood that the various embodiments described herein are byway of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. For example, many of the materials and structures describedherein may be substituted with other materials and structures withoutdeviating from the spirit of the invention. The present invention asclaimed may therefore include variations from the particular examplesand preferred embodiments described herein, as will be apparent to oneof skill in the art. It is understood that various theories as to whythe invention works are not intended to be limiting.

We claim:
 1. A device comprising: a first depositor comprising: one ormore delivery apertures surrounded by one or more exhaust apertures,wherein the one or more delivery apertures and the one or more exhaustapertures are enclosed within a perimeter of a boss that protrudes froma substrate-facing side of the one or more delivery apertures, whereindelivery channels for the one or more delivery apertures and exhaustchannels for the one or more exhaust apertures are routed orthogonallyto each other, wherein the one or more delivery apertures are configuredto permit jets of delivery gas pass through a lower surface of the firstdepositor, and wherein the lower surface of the first depositor includesthe one or more exhaust apertures to remove surplus vapor from adelivery zone.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more exhaustapertures is a single oval exhaust aperture.
 3. The device of claim 1,further comprising a second depositor, wherein each of the first andsecond depositors is enclosed within its own boss or is arranged on acommon boss.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first depositor andthe second depositor are arranged in different ranks, and a printingpitch is defined by the shortest distance orthogonal to a printdirection between centers of the first and second depositors.
 5. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the exhaust channels are in a plane of theone or more delivery apertures, and the delivery channels are enclosedwithin pillars normal to the plane of the one or more delivery aperturesthat extend through the exhaust channel layer.
 6. The device of claim 1,wherein the delivery channels receive delivery gas to provide to the oneor more delivery apertures, and wherein the delivery channel includes aplurality of sub-channels through a lower surface of the first depositorthat each feed a different delivery aperture of the one or more deliveryapertures.
 7. The device of claim 6, further comprising: at least onedelivery via disposed at an opposite end of the delivery channels fromthe one or more delivery apertures, wherein the at least one deliveryvia receives delivery gas for the first depositor.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, wherein process gas is drawn through the one or more exhaustapertures and exits through the exhaust channels.
 9. The device of claim1, wherein confinement gas is distributed via a recess disposed adjacentto the boss of the first depositor.
 10. The device of claim 1, whereinthe exhaust channels form continuous cavities that are separated bywalls.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein an arrangement of the exhaustchannels are parallel to a print direction.
 12. The device of claim 1,wherein a shape of the one or more delivery apertures is selected fromthe group consisting of: circular apertures, and slit apertures.
 13. Thedevice of claim 12, wherein jets from the circular apertures diverge inall directions in a substrate plane when impinged on a substrate ordiverge in orthonormal directions, and the jets from the slit aperturesdiverge in directions orthonormal to a substrate normal and a major axisof a slit of the slit apertures.
 14. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising: confinement apertures with planes parallel to a substrateplane, wherein the confinement apertures are positioned on thedeposition bosses.
 15. The device of claim 1, wherein the confinementchannels are interdigitated with the exhaust channels.
 16. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the first depositor and other depositors are arrangedin banks, wherein each bank deposits a different emissive layercomposition to produce a different color of an organic light emittingdevice.
 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the banks are offset fromeach other along a print direction by a subpixel separation for eachcolor.